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Despite the rise in energy prices, using a freezer can save you hundreds of pounds over the year on food shopping and food waste. Express.co.uk spoke to money-saving and freezer expert, Kate Hall, who has partnered with Birds Eye and revealed her top tips on switching from fresh food to making the most of the freezer. Kate also spoke about the newspaper hack, and whether it makes a freezer more energy efficient.
Electricity is now expensive, so Kate explained whether an empty freezer is more efficient to run than a full freezer.
She said: “A full freezer is far more efficient than an empty one, and will cost less to run. This is because the frozen food inside the freezer will help to keep the temperature low whenever the door is opened, and the freezer will not have to work as hard to get the temperature back to the correct level (-18C).
“You shouldn’t overfill your freezer though as this will stop the air from circulating. Around 70- 85 percent full is the best target to aim for.”
For anyone who has got an empty freezer, Kate spoke about the newspaper hack; this sees newspaper pieces scrunched up into large balls and placed into freezer drawers to take up empty space.
Some experts say it helps the freezer run more efficiently as it is deemed full.
Kate said: “There’s good logic to this, but unfortunately it isn’t very effective in practice.
“The idea is that the newspaper reduces the amount of warm air that can enter your freezer when you open the door. By doing this, the freezer doesn’t have to work as hard to cool the air each time the door is opened.
“In reality, the newspaper will just make it harder to access your food, and you’ll end up leaving the door open for longer (allowing more warm air to flood in), which makes the whole exercise pretty pointless.
“It would only really be worth doing if you had a completely empty drawer; but using the space to freeze fresh food that is otherwise heading towards the bin is a far better use of the space (and you would be amazed just how many fresh foods can be frozen),” she added.
As for the best way to utilise freezer space, Kate spoke about buying reduced, or ‘yellow-sticker’ items in supermarkets.
“The household freezer is a fantastic tool when it comes to saving money,” the expert commented. “It is switched on 24/7 anyway, and is more efficient when it has food in it, so it makes sense to use it.
“As long as food has been correctly stored, it can be frozen right up until it’s use-by-date, so purchasing yellow-sticker products such as meat and fish is a brilliant way to save some cash. Doing this is also great from an environmental perspective as it prevents these foods from going to waste.
“Cooking from frozen doesn’t have to take ages either, if you are using individual frozen ingredients, cooking from frozen doesn’t tend to take any longer than cooking from fresh and when planning your meal, if ingredients should be cooked from frozen, which that’s a whole amount of time saved instead of waiting for your dinner to defrost!
“If cooking on the hob, it’s best to use a high heat initially to evaporate the excess moisture, before reducing the heat. Just be sure your food is piping hot throughout before serving!”
Are there some foods that shouldn’t be frozen? Kate explained: “There are very few foods that can’t be frozen; the most important thing is ensuring that they have been properly stored before freezing, and that they are used correctly after freezing.
“For example, dairy products can be frozen, but they will split in the freezer, so people often assume they have gone bad. All that has actually happened is that the fats have separated from the water, so a good shake, blend or heating through will bring them back together.
“As long as food has been correctly stored, it can be frozen right up until it’s use-by-date, so purchasing yellow-sticker products such as meat and fish is a brilliant way to save some cash. Doing this is also great from an environmental perspective as it prevents these foods from going to waste.
“Cooking from frozen doesn’t have to take ages either, if you are using individual frozen ingredients, cooking from frozen doesn’t tend to take any longer than cooking from fresh and when planning your meal, if ingredients should be cooked from frozen, which that’s a whole amount of time saved instead of waiting for your dinner to defrost!
“If cooking on the hob, it’s best to use a high heat initially to evaporate the excess moisture, before reducing the heat. Just be sure your food is piping hot throughout before serving!”
Are there some foods that shouldn’t be frozen? Kate explained: “There are very few foods that can’t be frozen; the most important thing is ensuring that they have been properly stored before freezing, and that they are used correctly after freezing.
“For example, dairy products can be frozen, but they will split in the freezer, so people often assume they have gone bad. All that has actually happened is that the fats have separated from the water, so a good shake, blend or heating through will bring them back together.
“Some foods also require a small amount of prep before freezing, such as potatoes. These need to be at least par-boiled before freezing, but once this is done and they are cooled, they can be stored in the freezer, and what’s even better is they can be cooked from frozen!
“Often it is a question of personal preference whether you like a particular food after it has been frozen, as it can change the taste/texture. As long as food safety rules have been followed then it’s safe to freeze pretty much everything.
“The one food that I do usually highlight as not being suitable for freezing is mayonnaise (and other emulsion sauces, or dishes containing these), as the sauce will separate in the freezer and it is pretty impossible to save,” she said.
As for defrosting items, Kate shared her tips: “For most foods, it is incredibly important that they are kept cool whilst defrosting.
“The safest option is in the bottom of the fridge, covered, in a dish, so that any water from the food does not splash onto other foods, especially ready-to-eat items.
“If you need something to defrost a bit faster, then it can be placed in a freezer bag, in a dish of ice-cold water. I usually use a cup or bowl to weigh the food down so that it stays submerged. If the food takes longer than 30 minutes to defrost, I refresh the water to ensure the food stays cool.”
The expert also mentioned meat and the safest way to defrost it: “Meat is best defrosted in the bottom of the fridge, but you can also use the water method mentioned above. It is also safe to microwave small pieces of meat (not large joints), as long as you use the defrost setting and cook them thoroughly, immediately after defrosting.
“Whilst some people may think they have never had food poisoning despite defrosting foods at room temperature for years, it is important to know that food poisoning is not always immediate and that it does not always present as you might expect.
“It does not always result in sickness and can be as mild as just feeling unwell with aches or chills.
“It is also more likely to cause serious illness in those with a weaker immune system, such as young children, pregnant women, the elderly and those with health conditions.
“So, it may be that you have not personally been ill from defrosting at room temperature, but if you’re cooking for others, then you may be unintentionally putting them at risk,” Kate commented.
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